Proximity
by Ashes 'nd Pearls
Summary: The only thing that separated Kol and Bonnie, was the fence between their houses. And frankly, that wasn't enough space sometimes- "Say it one more time and I'll set fire to your car." Human AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Proximity**

**Pairing: _Main_- Kennett, plus hints of Finn/Sage, Klaroline, Kalijah and if you squint, mentions of Beremy. **

**Word Count: 5430**

**AN: I originally put this in a one-shot collection for Kennett, but then got floods of reviews for it and since it just seemed to get longer and longer, I decided it's probably best as a stand-alone Fic.****So yeah, my perfect AU world, all human, domestic Mikaelson. And like before, all of my favourite pairings are going to be here. I think slow progression, like little episodes within one chapter. I have a checklist of all things that are going to happen and more- _so happy to get my muse back for this. _**

**This is also dedicated to gloomren, who is an actual babe and deserves loads of love. And thank you to everyone who has supported me on this, you're all babes. **

**Still don't own The Vampire Diaries, otherwise Caroline would have moved down to New Orleans with Bonnie, Kol would still be alive and in his appropriate body (Not that Daniel Sharman isn't also a babe) and Hope would probably be Caroline's daughter, not Hayley's. **

**But yeah, Disclaiming.**

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><p>It was a well known fact that the Mikaelson's and the Bennett's, were neighbours.<p>

It was hard not to know in a rinky-dink town like Mystic Falls, where everybody knew your business. They knew that Bonnie's parents got divorced when she was three, that she hadn't seen her mom since she was six, that her dad was infamous for his extended business trips. The Mikaelson's were also known as a train wreck waiting to happen, multiple disputes with the law, multiple elopements, many _many _fist fights. Though Bonnie could understand the chaos with six kids, Esther had her work cut out for her. Not to mention her husband being thrown in jail a few years earlier.

Rebekah and Bonnie were friends though, really good friends. Their fallouts being of epic proportions, close enough to finish one anothers sentences, have a conversation with only looks. In fact, she was well acquainted with all of the Mikaelson family. Esther always looked out for her since her Grams moved out, Finn and Sage babysat her once or twice, Elijah had caught her sneaking out of the house, the time Kol set fire to her dads tool-shed, when Klaus managed to get into a fight in her front garden.

The Mikaelson's would unfortunately never leave Mystic Falls, and neither would the Bennett's.

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><p>"I just can't believe you're going out with him," Rebekah said with her nose wrinkled in disgust. That was the seventh- <em>no, eighth<em>- time Rebekah had said that since getting into the car, like a track stuck on repeat there'd be a moment of silence before Rebekah brought the subject up again. Bonnie had never had a problem carpooling with Rebekah, it was better than sharing a car with Caroline on a morning-_being that happy before midday was illegal_. She would have killed the Head Cheerleader before the first semester was out. Rolling her eyes, Bonnie simply shrugged her shoulders as Rebekah fiddled with the radio once again. "I mean you could so do better than him."

"Oh yeah?" Bonnie murmured, kind of disinterested as she turned round the corner.

"Oh come on Bonnie, _Jeremy Gilbert_-"

"What? He's cute." Bonnie said, shrugging her shoulders.

"_Dogs_ are cute Bonnie, _Damon's_ cute, but you don't date them." Rebekah said with a grin stretching across her lips as Bonnie slapped her hand jokingly; Damon Salvatore, dick of the century or in the running for it. His only competition was Rebekah's brother, though which one Bonnie didn't know. "Plus he's Elena's little brother, that's just a _little_ weird. I mean what happens if you guys break up for good?"

"We break up Rebekah, meaning we don't see each other romantically anymore." Bonnie said condescendingly, giving her a stare when they stopped at a red light as if she was five years old. Rebekah simply whacked Bonnie's arm with the back of her hand.

"You know what I meant." Rebekah said with a deadpan stare that made Bonnie smile. Whilst Bonnie loved Elena and Caroline, it was true when they said three was a crowd. Secrets were swapped without permission because it was assumed that all three should know, it would always end up in a pair and an odd one out. Sometimes it was Caroline, and sometimes it was Bonnie. But with Rebekah, Bonnie could be selfish and relish in the secrets that they only told each other. The fact that she could be completely frank about her opinion and most of the time Rebekah would agree with her, if not add her own tidbits.

Maybe it was easier since they knew each other since they were children, it was hard growing up with someone and not knowing every little thing about them. It was nice, because with Rebekah she was simply _Bonnie_. She wasn't part of the package deal which was _Bonnie, Elena and Caroline_. She was Bonnie Bennett, the girl who knew how to play poker at the age of ten because of Grams, the one which refused to dress up as anything other than a witch for Halloween, who got pissed off and threw mud at Rebekah's face when they were kids- _in fact_, she could still see the hole to China she and Rebekah had made as children.

To be fair it was only shin deep, but when you were five, that was a big deal.

Rebekah eyed the empty drive sadly.

"Your dad still not home from Paris?" Rebekah commented as she undid her seat-belt, Bonnie shutting off the engine as Rebekah got out the car.

"He said in three days, two weeks ago." Bonnie said, shrugging her shoulders indifferently as she got out and locked the car. Her dad loved her, in his own way- which included nobody to welcome her home after school, leaving her in an empty house with only infrequent phone calls and the briefest texts.

Mr. Bennett had always been nice, or from what Rebekah could remember, always teasing them about being little princesses whilst giving them more candy than what was probably allowed; though usually to wind up both Esther and Bonnie's mom when he returned the 'little princesses' in their sugar-crazed states. Those memories of her dad were nice, scarce but it still made a smile come to her lips.

"You wanna come over for dinner?" Rebekah asked as she walked round the front of the car to perch on the hood, it wasn't like Esther would complain. She had always loved Bonnie like her own daughter, and wasn't above storming around to the Bennett house to drag Bonnie round for a decent meal every once in a while.

"Do you remember what happened last time?" Bonnie asked incredulously, leaning against the bonnet of her car besides Rebekah.

She wrinkled her nose but couldn't fault Bonnie, the last time she'd had dinner at the Mikaelson house, to say it was a disaster would be putting it lightly. Klaus finally told his mother that he wanted to be an artist, not going into the family business as they had discussed; Henrik let slip about the fact that he'd been suspended for a couple of days; and Elijah had finally come clean about eloping with his long term girlfriend, Katherine. Then Kol had 'accidentally' (_which actually turned out to be a genuine accident)_ groped Bonnie which reuslted in her dumping her plate of food over his head.

"We should have our own TV show." Rebekah said simply, Bonnie nodding in agreement as she thought about all the drama that existed in Rebekah's life.

"I'm thinking Geordie Shores, Big Brother kind of thing" Bonnie stated with a soft hum as she thought about it. Rebekah tilted her head as she tried to imagine it, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Your family is nuts, but star-material."

"Star-material? You're not gossiping about my good looks again are you Bennett?" A voice cut across, both of them turning to stare at Kol as he got out of his own car. Bonnie's lip curling slightly in disdain automatically. Out of the Mikaelson family there was a list of people she could tolerate and it went in the exact order;

_Rebekah, Esther, Henrik, Elijah, Finn, space, Klaus, space, space, Kol._

There were just some people you can't get along with, and Kol was one of them but unfortunately he had made it his life goal to get on her good side. Rebekah tried to hide her smile, because it was a well talked about subject in their house about Kol's _thing_ for Bonnie. It wasn't a _thing_ though, they passed, and Kol had been making eyes at Bonnie for the past couple of years. If only he didn't set fire to her dads tool-shed, he might've had more of a chance than he did at that moment in time.

"You're right, I'm not." Bonnie said easily, smiling when she heard Rebekah's faint snort from beside her. Kol gave a wounded look, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he held a hand against his chest- trying to suppress his smirk, as usual. _Did she always have to look so good?_ Plus Kol couldn't help but notice she was wearing that certain pair of jeans which should have been declared illegal in every state. Eyes drifting up and down her figure, a slow grin curling at the edges of his lips.

"You don't think I'm sexy Bennett?" He asked, leaning against her fence lazily. _Flirting_, Rebekah noticed, they were flirting and they didn't even realize it. Bonnie she could believe, that girl was clueless when it came to these kind of things, Kol on the otherhand, well, he was just an idiot- so maybe he did have an excuse.

"I think I threw up a little." Bonnie confessed, wrinkling her nose as she used her hand to shield her eyes from the suns glare. Rebekah was trying to quell the grin that spread across her cheeks, but ended up looking sniggering under her breath anyways. Bonnie turned to her with a grin. "Get lost you psycho."

"I'm going," Rebekah said, still grinning as she got off of Bonnie's car- cussing her as Bonnie stuck her foot out when Rebekah walked past her feet. Kol sniggered as he watched Rebekah swipe playfully at Bonnie, the girl holding her hands up in surrender as Rebekah walked over to her house- turning around at the last minute. She waved widely before calling out-"Try not to miss me!"

"I'll be in your bed by nine o'clock!" Bonnie shouted back teasingly, watching as Rebekah dramatically froze and looked around.

"I thought we were keeping that a secret!" Rebekah hollered as she flashed her a grin and waved once again before going in the house, leaving Bonnie alone with Kol. Possibly the worst idea in existence, terrible really. Kol was silently thanking his sister to the heavens above, even if Bonnie was already grabbing her bag and getting ready to go inside.

"What? Nothing to say to me Bennett?"Kol called out tauntingly as he watched her rummage around in her bag for her house keys,

"Do the words restraining order mean anything?" Bonnie said easily, not bothering to turn around as she stood up from the bonnet of her car; pulling the keys out of the bottom of her bag, _why did she have so much junk in her bag?_ There was also Rebekah's make up bag that she needed to return since Bonnie had forgotten about it when Rebekah asked her to hold onto it in the girls bathroom.

"You'd miss our banter too much." Kol said cockily, watching as Bonnie's jaw dropped at his gall but she couldn't stop the smile that was begging to show on her face. Instead she turned to him as she walked towards her front door, easily walking backwards and avoiding the loose stones of the path as she went. She wouldn't give something else for Kol to hold above her.

"Banter, is that what you call it?" She asked with an eyebrow arched.

"Actually I prefer the term verbal foreplay-" Kol said with a cheeky grin as Bonnie's jaw dropped again in amused shock,

"Bye Kol." She said as she turned to unlock her door.

"See you later Bennett," Kol said, waiting a moment as she stepped into her house but he couldn't help himself. "Did you say around nine that you'd be in Bex bed?"

"_Bye Kol_." Bonnie said once again, not bothering to hide her grin since there was no way he could see it now and simply shut the door behind her. Kol tapped the fence lightly as he pursed his lips in determination, walking away to go into his own house and wasn't above kicking the tire of his car lightly in frustration; so Kol Mikaelson had a teeny-tiny _two year_ crush on Bonnie Bennett and she didn't want anything to do with him really.

Typical.

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><p><strong><em>Two Weeks Later<em>**

Dinner with the Mikaelson family, had been a disaster the previous time, so why Esther thought it would be okay this time was beyond Bonnie.

She was squashed awkwardly between Rebekah and Kol, having had to move seats to separate the two of them already since Rebekah had flung her peas at him and he'd already dropped mash potato in her hair. Whilst she could complain all she wanted, it hadn't taken much for Esther to drag her to the Mikaelson house for a family dinner. Besides, it was one of the smaller dinners they'd had. Klaus was on a date _with Caroline_, oh yes- Rebekah and Bonnie had great delight in teasing him about his crush on the beloved Head Cheerleader._Joke was on them when Caroline actually agreed to the date_. Finn and Sage were still on their honeymoon in Tahiti and still had to visit Venice before returning home. Elijah had turned up alone, saying Katherine had been kept behind at the law Firm because of some last minute case, so it was just Elijah, Henrik, Esther Rebekah, Kol and now Bonnie.

It was _tiny_ in comparison to Thanks Giving.

Elijah kept giving her funny glances from across the table, as if he was trying to repress a smirk constantly whilst Rebekah was muttering under her breath about him being weird since he pried himself away from Katherine. Bonnie sniggered quietly, the two of them avoiding Elijah's jeering sneer and continued to eat quietly.

"Anything interesting happen in school today Bonnie?" Esther asked the girl, smiling sweetly at the young girl. If it wasn't for the fact that her eldest son was 26, and the faintest wrinkle around the corners of her mouth, Bonnie would never believe that Esther was in her forties (in fact she still didn't believe it).

Bonnie knew the woman meant well, she was probably more of a mother figure than her own mom- but today just wasn't a good day. It was one of those days she barely got to see Rebekah in school, Elena was having an argument with her brother of the month, _Damon_, and she'd been caught in the middle of it. Pursing her lips, she avoided everyone's eyes as she stabbed the meat on her plate absent-mindedly.

"Not really." She said, nobody missing the way Elijah leaned back in his chair with the smuggest grin he could muster.

"Elijah?" Esther stated, eyebrow arched coolly.

"Oh nothing, it's just I got a call from Enzo-" Immediately Bonnie winced, since Enzo was one of the guys that ran in Damon's little clique. It had completely slipped her mind that Enzo was good friends with Elijah as well since his girlfriend (Maggie) worked for Elijah. "Saying something about Damon Salvatore being put into the nurses office today."

"Oh that's terrible-" Esther started, her concern shining through which was when Elijah grinned.

"By Bonnie."

Silence at the table.

The food on Henrik's fork fell back onto his plate as he froze midway to his mouth, splatting on the table.

Rebekah's jaw dropped as she turned to stare at her friend.

Kol simply stared at her out of the corner of his eye.

Bonnie wanted to shrivel up and die, Elijah was clearly getting a kick out of his discomfort which was why she kicked him in the shin. Even then his shit-eating grin didn't go away. Rebekah's surprised expression melted away as she burst out into laughter, because the idea of Bonnie beating someone up to the point they needed to go to the Nurse was as funny as it was realistic. _Especially_ if it was Damon Salvatore, since the one time in Science when she'd 'accidentally' set fire to his sleeve- hadn't been all that much of an accident.

Bonnie looked up sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.

"He cornered me, yelling at me, telling me to talk to Elena for him and he wouldn't take no for an answer." Bonnie said quietly, rubbing the back of her neck as she pushed the food on her plate around with her fork. Rebekah nodded, could easily see it happening whilst Kol's grip around his cutlery tightened, he'd just have to remember to aim for Damon the next time they were pitted against one another in dodgeball- even if they were on the same team, there would probably be a little incident. "So he grabbed me and, I punched him... and then I kicked him... a few times."

With every slight pause, she winced.

"What did Elena say to you?" Rebekah asked curiously, knowing how the Gilbert girl got over her dating situation because, _honestly_- dating brothers just wasn't the way to go. Bonnie rolled her eyes as she put a spoonful of food in her mouth.

"She's not talking to me right now." Bonnie said, smiling when Rebekah's face screwed up in a mixture of anger and confusion.

"Damon basically _harassed_ you and when you fought back, suddenly _you're_ the bad guy?" Rebekah asked, her gaze turning to Kol. "How does that work?"

"It doesn't." Kol stated simply.

"Well, as long as he deserved it and you were doing it out of self-defense." Esther said simply, her logic flawless, her gaze going to Kol almost instantly with a pointed stare though her words were directed at Bonnie. "It's not like _you_ have a record of fighting in school."

Kol rolled his eyes as his mom started going on and on about it, how he should be a better role model for Henrik, how did he expect to go to college with that attitude. The tension in the room practically flooding away and letting Bonnie relax in her chair, Rebekah's hand covering hers as she silently asked Bonnie if she was okay. With a nod, the family easily went on to finish their dinner with more amicable topics of conversation. Esther had insisted that Bonnie didn't need to help wash up but she did anyways, drying the dishes whilst Kol washed them.

Esther had almost fainted in shock when Kol had _willingly_ offered to do the dishes.

There was a moment of awkward silence as Bonnie dried the dish, as Kol simply scrubbed at the plates whilst trying not to inwardly groan to himself- _the things he did for Bonnie Bennett, even willing washing the dishes__. _Elijah had patted his shoulder knowingly before shoving a pile of plates into his hands and Kol had thrown a dishtowel at Henrik when he had started to making kissing noises. Rebekah simply grinned at Bonnie and told her to go up to her room once she was done.

It was kinda weird how supportive his sister was of his crush on her best friend.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Kol asked, finally breaking the silence with the only thing he could think of and the only thing that had been on his mind since the topic had been brought up at the dinner table. Bonnie almost dropped the plate out of shock, Kol going for it and his hands brushing against hers. She flinched away slightly, Kol immediately going back to the sink and not looking her in the eye. Now, he could be a confident guy but somehow, Bonnie seemed to take all that away and reduce him to a blushing embarrassed thirteen year old.

"What?" She said, after a moment. Placing the dish on the counter, she grabbed another from the draining board, eyeing Kol out of the corner of her eye.

"Did he hurt you?" Kol asked once again, going to grab the plates on the other side of the counter and missing the soft smile that curved Bonnie's lips.

"No." She said softly. "No, I'm fine."

"You don't want me to beat him up then?" Kol asked, looking at her with a cheeky smile. She grinned and smacked him with the damp dishtowel, not minding his teasing for once (not that she ever minded it, but that _so_ wasn't the point).

"_No_." Bonnie said, rolling her eyes.

"Just say the word and he's mince meat, darling," Kol said, handing the dish to her but not relinquishing his grip of it even as she tried to take it- Instead he held tight and watched as Bonnie was forced to stand that little bit closer to him. He could feel the warmth of the freshly washed dish against his stomach and smell the barest scent of her perfume.

"I'll remember that." Bonnie said quietly, finally snatching the dish out of his hand and drying it quickly. Her mouth was dry, wasps in her stomach as she tried to tell herself that she was flushed from the steam of the hot water. "That was the last dish."

Kol watched as she walked out of the kitchen- with a soft mutter of "_Fuck_" under his breath. Was he really that guy crushing on his sisters best friend? The answer was _yes, yes he was_.

Bonnie didn't stop for a second as she practically sprinted up the stairs with a small thank you from Esther for cleaning up, walking into Rebekah's room and collapsing onto her bed as Rebekah sat in front her vanity table, doing her nails. The blonde eyeing her friend through the mirror as she inspected the nice cherry chutney colour on her nails.

"I totally give you permission to date my brother by the way."

Bonnie simply threw a pillow at her head.

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><p><strong><em>One Week <em>_Later_**

"When's Bonnie getting back?" Rebekah whined, lifting the curtains to peer out of the window for the third time that minute in search of a familiar set of headlights. On a date, her friend was on a date- with _Jeremy Gilbert_, put her poor choice of men could be ignored. Huffing, she ran a hand through her tangled blonde mane in an effort to soothe the raging migraine her Calculus homework had started. The fact that Kol had the TV turned up rather loud, and her Mom kept dropping things in the kitchen, didn't really help the pounding in her temples.

"You okay?!" Both Kol and Rebekah called out when they heard another crash in the kitchen.

"I'm fine!" Esther shouted back, cussing quietly under her breath and Rebekah could see her Mom through the doorway to the kitchen, glaring at the large frying pan in hatred. Sniggering under her breath, Rebekah turned back to the window and almost fell off of her chair when realizing that Bonnie's car was now in the driveway.

Kol simply let his eyes slide away from the mind-melting wonders of Spongebob to his sister as she hurriedly put on her coat and then _his_ shoes. Didn't bother him, and both were as bad as each other for stealing one anothers things (though you wouldn't catch Kol dead in a pair of her high heels, those were _death traps_). Rebekah didn't even bother to shout her intentions to her Mom and slipped out the front door, Kol spotting her leap over the fence agilely through the window.

"Is Bonnie back?" Esther asked, poking her head out of the kitchen door when she heard the door shut behind her only daughter.

"Mhm." Kol hummed, trying not to twitch in irritation... because really, _Jeremy Gilbert_?! The whole family had an aversion to everything Gilbert, and Katherine was classed as a Petrova despite being Elena's older cousin. Kol had seen the baby Gilbert around Highschool, mostly in the stoner den round the back when he was dating Vicki Donovan (before she ran off to live with her boyfriend in Vegas, or those were the rumours). The punk had a little too much attitude, didn't really appreciate anything he had.

The two of them waited patiently, Esther smiling softly at the sound of the two girls laughing as they walked back over- not leaping over the fence like Rebekah had done. Though Esther constantly berated her daughter for it. Rebekah was the first through the door, Bonnie strolling in next with a wide smile as she pulled off her boots, esther immediately hauling Bonnie into a warm embrace. The girl could still smell the lavender perfume Esther wore, the womans blonde ringlets tickling her face.

Kol on the otherhand was a little preoccupied with staring at Bonnie and what she was wearing- another pair of jeans which he thought should been illegal with how nicely they shaped her legs, and ass. Plus, the leather jacket was a nice touch but what really got his attention was her lipstick. Blood red, hot rod red, however you described it all he could see was her lips. High distracting, _dangerous thoughts Kol_.

"I heard you had a busy day," Esther commented playfully as she pulled away, holding onto Bonnie's shoulders whilst Rebekah flopped onto the couch- smacking Kol in the face by accident.

"Something like that." Bonnie replied, rolling her eyes gently when she heard Rebekah yelp when Kol nipped her.

"Is Stir Fry okay for dinner?" Esther asked, walking back to the kitchen and carefully ignoring her childrens squabblings like a master.

"I'm starving, so I'll eat anything." Bonnie told her, walking over to take a seat next to Rebekah on the couch whilst the blonde rubbed her thigh as she glared at Kol. Though when Bonnie walked over, it was like dangling a piece of meat in front of a rabid dog. All of her attention went to her friend, patting the spot next to her rapidly and watching as she flopped down lazily next to her.

"How was your date?" Rebekah asked eagerly, lifting Bonnie's legs to rest in her lap. The girl simply let her head drop back in aggravation.

"He spent most of the date, talking about his Ex," Bonnie confessed rather reluctantly, hoping that Rebekah would take pity on her and not say the infamous '_I told you so_'; she just didn't need that after the train wreck of a date she just had. "And then Elena walked in."

There was a moment of silence as Rebekah, and Kol who was eavesdropping '_unintentionally_', let that process but when they realized both grimaced. Whilst Bonnie and Elena still weren't on the best terms after the whole _Damon Fiasco_, seeing her best friend on a date with her little brother was probably the nail in the coffin.

"She was happy for us." Bonnie stated, confusing the hell out of Rebekah- who sent Kol a questioning look, only to receive an equally as confused shrug in return. She watched the siblings exchange before sighing loudly. "All she could say was how glad she was that he was with someone so _loyal, responsible, who'd love him_- It was a first date!"

Rebekah couldn't help but snigger as Bonnie threw her arms up in aggravation, her eyes wide and she could practically see Bonnie trying to imagine a life with Jeremy Gilbert- the cogs in her head working overdrive, and slowly her expression morphed into one of horror. Now, the infamous phrase was on the tip of Rebekah's tongue but with how frustrated Bonnie seemed, she kept quiet... _for now_. Instead, she just let Bonnie lay there on the couch with her legs in her lap and dropped back, though she knew if she left her friend there for any longer than twenty minutes- she'd probably fall asleep.

"Rebekah! Could you grab me some chicken from the freezer!?" Esther called out, Bonnie peaking one eye open to watch the blonde sigh but push Bonnie's legs out of her lap- her ankle smacking against Kol's knee.

"Sorry," Bonnie mumbled before she put her feet back where Rebekah had sat.

"You know, you could do a lot better than Jeremy Gilbert." Kol stated bladnly, not breaking his eyes away from the TV in fear of simply staring at her lips. Bonnie blinked, suddenly awake and alert as registered Kol's words. _Why did all the Mikaelson's think she could do better_? Pulling herself up ever so slightly, she looked at him.

"Oh yeah?" Bonnie mumbled, eyebrow arched.

"Mhm, and if he's still hung up on his ex when you're there, he's an idiot," Kol stated, lips twitching up into a crooked smile. "And you don't date idiots."

Bonnie couldn't help but smile at that, Kol turning to glance at her and immediately caught in her lovely green eyes (_See! He turned into a sap when he was around Bonnie. Dangerous thoughts!_). Both startled ever so slightly when Rebekah stormed back into the room, interrupting them whilst she flopepd back down on the couch regardless of the fact she was sat on Bonnie's legs.

"Who's an idiot?" Rebekah asked, oblivious.

_Me, _Kol was tempted to say.

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><p><strong><em>One Month Later<em>**

_Christmas. _

One of her favourite times of the year, except for Halloween, her birthday and Rebekah's birthday. This year was probably the best, snow had fallen, she and Rebekah had gone ice skating on the frozen lake, Bonnie had heard from her cousin Lucy that she and her family (Including Grams) might be coming up to visit close to New years. There was _almost nothing_ that could put a damper on her Christmas spirit.

"No." Bonnie said firmly, her arms folded across her chest as she eyed him in disdain.

Then again this was Kol.

"C'mon Bonnie, it's tradition." Kol said with a wide grin, holding her in place by her shoulders. He furrowed his brow in a mock serious look. "You don't wanna break tradition now, do you?"

"You planned this." Bonnie accused him, jabbing a finger at his chest.

"I wish I did." Kol said honestly with the biggest grin she could imagine as he glanced up at the piece of mistletoe hanging from the door. "I wouldn't have been able to plan it better myself."

And her children thought she didn't know what was going on, _oh_ Esther knew about Kol's crush on Bonnie.

Unlike her children, she was more than willing to push them in that direction- though the mistletoe had been a complete accident after trying to snap a picture of Elijah and Katherine kissing. Still, this was a good turnout. Rebekah was grinning from ear to ear as she watched the two of them from her Mom's side, the entire family watching them as the pair poked their heads round the door. Elijah simply rolled his eyes, reclining in his seat with his arm around his wife- Katherine currently on FaceTime with her Aunt Jenna.

Sage and Finn were finally back from their honeymoon, despite having managed to slip in a trip to visit Sage's family in Ireland after Venice, the two snuggled comfortably on the couch. Henrik was chatting enthusiastically with _Caroline_- turns out Klaus' relationship with the Head Cheerleader was more serious than anyone thought, so when she turned up with some pudding for Christmas Dinner, Bonnie couldn't help but grin. Rebekah, not so much.

Bonnie's dad wasn't able to make it home for Christmas, his apology sent via email, so Rebekah simply told her she was staying over Christmas Eve night and probably never leaving. Bonnie couldn't really see the downside to that, but now when she looked up at the piece of mistletoe hung from the doorframe- she wanted to eat those words.

"Come on Bonnie, one little kiss." Kol said with a grin, tapping his cheek lightly. "You can even just kiss me on the cheek."

Bonnie rolled her eyes but leaned up to kiss him on the cheek despite the fact she knew that Kol wouldn't just leave it at that, completely unsurprised when he turned and caught her lips at the last minute. She couldn't help but laugh, not minding as he grinned against her lips- moving his arms to wrap around her waist as he dramatically dipped her with his lips still pressed against hers.

"Kol." Bonnie yelped, her arms going around his neck as he laughed. _Like he'd ever drop her._

"That's my name Bonnie, don't wear it out." Kol said as he brought them up to stand upright, their chests pressed against one another as Bonnie simply smiled at him. This time she leaned up and pressed a kiss against his lips gently, his eyes fluttering shut as she savoured the feel of her lips against his, exactly how he had imagined them and it was nothing short of perfect for him. As she pulled away from him, she bit her lip and tried not to look at him but still, her eyes found his anyways.

"Merry Christmas Kol."

"Merry Christmas Bonnie." Kol said, his lips twitching all of a sudden. "You know my Mom and Bex are-"

"Yeah, I know." She admitted, scrunching her nose up as she smiled.

That prompted the entire room behind them to burst out laughing.

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><p><strong>I'm just so happy. Hope you enjoyed.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Proximity**

**Pairings: Kennett, hints of Finn/Sage, Mabekah, Kalijah, Klaroline, Mason/Lucy. (Damn I'm on fire today)**

**Word Count: 6635**

**AN: It took a lot longer than what I expected, and I'm still not 100% happy with how I portrayed Kol asking Bonnie out. There's a lot less Bex in this chapter, mainly because I seem to keep forgetting that this is a _Kennett_ story. Damn Bonbekah (You know exactly who you are for making me Brotp this so hard, and I hate you for this *cough_gloomren_cough). But yeah, since Season 6, Elena-with-no-memories-of-Damon has once again grown on me. So there's a bit more redeeming of Elena. I don't want Delena to happen, I want Elena to be happy and single, Bamon or Bonkai (C'mon, if Klaroline sex-in-the-woods can happen, Bonnie can totally have hot hatesex with Kai). **

**But yes, back to Kennett. My one true OTP.**

**Disclaiming.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>A Month Later.<em>**

* * *

><p>"Lucy!"<p>

The older woman grinned and threw open her arms, greeting her favourite cousin in a spine crushing embrace that Bonnie had really missed since the last time she'd seen her. It had been almost two years ago,__barring the Skype calls, FaceTime, phonecalls and text message___s_, which they had seen each other face to face; the last being on Lucy's twenty-fifth birthday, and after that it was agreed the two should never drink together, __ever__. The two were terrible influences over one another, and their Grams only encouraged it.

"My god, you almost come up to my shoulder," Lucy teased, it not being a secret that Bonnie was petite and it didn't help that she was in five inch heels. A big mistake after a five hour ride from Florida.

"Yeah, yeah," Bonnie huffed before letting the woman into her house, shutting the door behind her before eagerly following her into the living room. There was a slight pang of disappointment when she realized that Grams and the rest of the family hadn't come with Lucy; Aunt Bernadette always made a habit of bringing up enough cakes to sink a ship, her Uncle Jack and his bad habit of "_accidentall__y" _leaving behind bottles of alcohol and then Grams, who drank said bottle of alcohol. Slipping onto the loveseat with her cousin, she watched as Lucy peeled the heels off of her feet and massaged her instep with a sigh of relief. "I didn't know you were coming up today."

"It wasn't planned," Lucy admitted as she sat up, slinging her legs across Bonnie's whilst she shrugged her shoulders- a small grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "But I'm actually here to stay."

Bonnie blinked- "...Stay?"

Lucy nodded, her grin growing.

"Like... you're _moving_ here?"

Lucy laughed when Bonnie squealed, throwing herself at the older woman without a care. It had been a long time since Lucy had lived in Mystic Falls, moving out only a year or two after Bonnie's Mom had left. Back then Bonnie didn't really know her cousin, it was only when she went to visit her Grams in Florida at the age of twelve, did they hit it off. Pulling away, Bonnie's smile lit up her entire face at the idea of part of her family moving back.

"I might have to crash here for a couple of weeks before my __boyfriend __gets here," Lucy almost sang, her eyes widening subtly as she dangled the word in front of Bonnie like a piece of meat. bait that she was only happy to bite. It was no hidden fact that Lucy had commitment issues, to the point where a guy mentioned moving in with each other- and then the next second being single. Boyfriend, meant big deal when it came to Lucy.

"_Boyfriend?! _Tell me everything, _right now_," Bonnie ordered with a gleeful smile.

"You remember I told you about Mason Lockwood-" "_No" "_Yea, well, friends with benefits cliché, the hate sex and then, BOOM! Feelings." Lucy said with a roll of her shoulders.

Mason Lockwood, as in Tyler's cooler, sexy Uncle which came to visit occasionally- which would be weird, now that Bonnie's Cousin was dating Tyler's Uncle. Bonnie slumped back in her seat, eyes wide as she tried to absorb everything- "Anything else you need to tell me?"

"Well, someone else is coming today," Lucy admitted, expression souring completely as she reached over to grasp one of Bonnie's hands, their fingers threading together. Oh how she hated to do this to her baby cousin, how she hated the woman for forcing this upon her. "I ran into your Mom, and she's dropping by for a visit."

There was a moment of silence which Bonnie waited for Lucy to shout '_Joking!_' but it never came, she blinked. Maybe she'd heard her wrong? Lucy's expression remained grim as Bonnie sunk further into her seat, one hand dragging through her hair as she breathed steadily for a second; her gaze drifting away and Lucy didn't know what was running through her baby cousins mind at that moment. What was actually going through it was multiple curse words which Grams would make her put money in the swear jar for, if not swipe at her knees with her cane. There wasn't any reason for her Mom to come and visit her, _she'd had __twelve__ years to do that_. Why now? All she could do was blink though, no outward reaction, just a blank expression as she tried to wrap her head around it.

"...Bonnie?" Lucy called her name softly, stroking her knuckle with her thumb.

"When?" Bonnie asked quietly, throat dry as if she'd never tasted water in her entire life and nerves out of control. Anxiety, fear, worry, all meshing together into a ball that was dropped heavily in her stomach- sending it to the floor. Keeping herself together, she didn't need her Mom. She hadn't needed her for twelve years, but there was always questions which she'd wanted to ask the woman. The __Who's, what's, where's, when's__and most importantly- the __why__? "When is she getting here?"

"...She wants you to meet her at the Grill at half seven." Lucy murmured softly.

Half seven, she had an hour before she went to meet her Mom. Her hand itched towards her pocket, half-tempted to send Rebekah a text simply to tell her what was going on. Her hand stilled though and she simply got up from the couch to pick something to wear.

_Jeans and a nice top said casual right? _

Bonnie tried not to fidget as she sat in the Grill, waiting for Abby to show up- she didn't know if her mother was running late or she was early but Lucy said that it only took one text and she'd be down there, ready to sort Abby out if needs be. Matt had stopped over with a vanilla shake and some fries, wanting to know if she was staying long enough for him to eat with her- and if Rebekah was alright (Those two were just dancing around one another). Then she was left with her thoughts, left on her own to let her imagination run wild and go through all possible (and impossible) scenarios run through her head.

The woman that walked through the door next, was a complete stranger to her.

Sure, she had a similar figure to Bonnie, not to mention the jaw, and the very same eyes she shared with Grams. She was still a stranger nonetheless though, Bonnie watching her as identical green eyes met hers and the small smile stretched across her lips. Bonnie could see the few strands of grey peppering her hair, the creases around her eyes and lips as she walked closer to the table, slipping into the booth quietly.

"Hi." Abby said.

"Hi."

How else did you greet your estranged mother?

_With a sledgehammer_, a voice in her head replied, sounding suspiciously like Rebekah. Homicidal tendencies aside, she was a nice girl. Bonnie watched as Abby ordered a drink and some fries for herself, Matt asking her if she was okay silently. He was a nice guy, she smiled back and watched as he went off to put in the orders- leaving her alone with her supposed mother once again. All she could think was, if you didn't leave, this awkward silence wouldn't be here. She never thought herself to be bitter or sore about her mothers abandonment, but apparently she was.

"How are you?" Abby eventually asked.

"I'm... good," Bonnie said, completely unconvincingly. "And you?"

"I'm... also good."

_Maybe she could drown herself in her milkshake_?_ Choke on her fries_?_ Throw herself out of the window_? Because this is the last place she wanted to be, but her own damn curiosity had dragged her ass to the Mystic Grill. Hoping for answers from the woman.

"Why did you want to see me?" Bonnie blurted out, it was the million dollar question and she simply didn't have the patience to wait for Abby to actually explain herself. It reduced them both to silence again though as Abby struggled to look up from the table, trying to move her lips and force words out of her mouth. You'd think that she would have thought out an answer, it was an obvious question to be asked. Fingers drumming, foot tapping, lips pursed, did Abby even know why she'd wanted to see her?

"I wanted to- I needed to-" Abby started, constantly pausing, pursing her own lips in an expression that mirrored hers before sighing in frustration- running a hand through her hair in an attempt to mask the shake of her fingers. " … I'm moving, in a few days."

Bonnie blinked, definitely not what she was expecting- "...And?"

"I'm... we're moving to Europe, and I'm not sure if we're every coming back." Abby stated, her hands now laid on the table with her fingers laced together.

Bonnie didn't care about her moving, didn't care if she never saw Abby again, it was the '_We_' that really struck her. Hard in the throat, like a bullet, bringing tears to her eyes and made her realize that Abby had moved on- she didn't care about little ol' Bonnie who she left behind. She'd made a new family, probably a picket fence, a few kids and a dog. Was she just a trial kid? A little experiment before Abby moved onto bigger and better children?

"You have a little brother... his name is Jamie," Abby told her, eyes lighting up for the first time since she'd sat down, and the fondness in her smile- the motherly pride made Bonnie want to smack her. "He's only twelve-"

_Twelve_, she thought painfully, she didn't even wait a year until she replaced her.

"No offence, but if your here to tell me about the family you have now, I really don't care," Bonnie told her, voice wavering ever so slightly and stopping Abby in her tracks. "I understand you didn't want to be with Dad, really, I understand that. I understand that you didn't want me-" Abby opened her mouth to protest "Because if you did, then you would have bothered to see me. I wouldn't just get a card for my birthday and Christmas. But now, you have to understand something..."

Bonnie trailed off, watching as Abby's food was slid in front of her and noticing that Elena had walked into the Grill as well; the two smiling at one another, though Elena could see even from a distance, that Bonnie was upset. Her lip quivering ever so slightly as she turned to the woman which brought her into this world.

"You have to understand that I don't want you," Bonnie told her, Abby's expression crumpling ever so slightly.

"I know I haven't been there-"

"You were _never_ there," Bonnie hissed, maybe this was it? This was the blow-out that had been a long time coming? Mount Vesuvius, explosion, Code Red. She hadn't got the answers she'd want but at this point, she couldn't seem to care. "For eleven years, you weren't there, first kiss, first day of high school, first boyfriends, everything. You weren't there. You have a family of your own, one you obviously care about more than me-"

"Bonnie, you're making a scene," Abby murmured quietly, looking around to see a few heads turning their way.

"Then let them look," Bonnie huffed, swiping at her eyes. "Have fun in Europe, be a good mother to your son, because you've already failed one child- god help you if you fail two."

There was nothing else to say, so Bonnie simply got out of her seat- her coat and bag in hand as she stormed out of the Grill. Not even laying down some money for her food, that was the _least _Abby could do for her. Paying for one measly meal was all she'd ever get out of her as a mother. Her cheeks were warms and so were her tears as she walked out of the Grille, the world closing in on her as she tried to keep it together. Her head held high as she walked briskly home, it was a good fifteen minute walk- _twenty minutes in heels_- not hearing Elena when she first called her name.

"Bonnie!"

Turning around, she saw Elena running towards her- a worried expression on her face as she stopped right next to her.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, not that she was justified to have this concern over her. So buried in her love life that she'd forgotten all about the people outside of it, Caroline, Bonnie, _everyone_. It was only a matter of time, but she'd broken up with Damon, and now with Stefan he encouraged her to flit around. To be free and be with her friends. She hadn't been a great friend to Bonnie, but she knew that whatever that woman had said had really broken her.

Her thoughts only proven when Bonnie's eyes misted over again and she latched onto Elena, sobbing like there was no tomorrow.

"Hey, _hey_, it's okay," Elena murmured, rubbing Bonnie's back and cradling her gently, letting Bonnie cry on her shoulder for once instead of the other way around- _how many times had she done this to her afterall?_ Pursing her lips, she gently pull away from Bonnie (The strong one, the one you went to for advice, always there and always strong Bonnie) with a small comforting smile. "Lets get you home."

So Elena gave her a lift home, watching as Lucy, Bonnie's cousin, came out of the house to help her into the house- now this would be the point which Elena would drive away, probably send a text later saying '_Hope you're okay :)_' but instead she lingered. Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel as she thought back to what Bonnie had done for her when she was going through rough patches, how she'd stayed over, made sure she ate, made sure she'd get out of bed. But times had changed, and Elena wasn't the right person to look out for Bonnie like that anymore- maybe there'd be a time when she was once again but right now?

Elena got out of the drivers seat and quickly walked to the next house, walking up the steps and trying to settle her nerves as she knocked on the door.

She was thankful that Rebekah was the one which answered.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Rebekah sneered, lip curling in distaste whilst Elena recoiled automatically- a sharp insult on the tip of her tongue which she bit down. This was about Bonnie, not their petty hatred thing.

"Bonnie's really upset," Elena started, watching as Rebekah's eyebrows furrowed in rage at the idea that Elena had been the one to cause it. "I found her at the Grill, gave her a lift home. Something about her mom, I just- ...she _needs_ you."

There was a moments silence as Rebekah simply grabbed her coat from the stand by the side of her door, shrugging it on and shouting to her own Mom about going to see Bonnie before closing the door and standing on the step with Elena. The two giving each other awkwardly curt nods as Elena walked back down the path and to her car, feeling a tiny bit better knowing that Rebekah was going to be there for Bonnie. It was when she was at her car door and Rebekah had already jumped the fence between their houses that Rebekah called out to her.

"Elena!"

She turned around as she opened the door.

"Thanks." Was all Rebekah said, a faint smile on her lips before she turned to knock on the door.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Three Weeks Later.<em>**

* * *

><p>It's not every day you turn seventeen.<p>

Well, that was how Caroline put it as she made ensured that Bonnie would have a- to quote, "_Fantabulasticly perfectly perfect birthday extravaganza_!". So walking into school on her own, Rebekah already _at_ school for some reason, she really shouldn't have been surprised to be tackled at her locker by screaming friends, party poppers and- _how did Caroline convince Matt to paint 'I heart Bonnie' on his chest_? …_Why wasn't he wearing a shirt!? _Scarred her for life, but it was a nice thought.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all screamed, Rebekah, Caroline, Elena, Matt all wearing ridiculous party hats as they held out a cupcake in their hands. Red velvet, her absolute favourite, with a cute little candle in the middle. They were the best, Bonnie couldn't help but laugh as Caroline insisted she put on her crown- fluffy, sparkly and plastic. Just how she liked her crowns, but she let Caroline have her way and put it into her hair. Always a perfectionist.

"How's it feel to be old?" Elena teased, all of them laughing when Caroline smacked her shoulder- having her birthday back in October.

"Hey!"

"I feel... like having cake." Bonnie murmured, eyeing the cupcake Elena had in her grasp. Rebekah couldn't help but grin at that, slinging her arm around Bonnie's shoulders as Elena held out the sugary offering.

It had been weird, because since that night where Rebekah and Elena had both put Bonnie first, it was like they were... _friends_ or something. 'Or something' was definitely the right answer, because whilst Bonnie and Elena reconnected- Rebekah still couldn't help but let loose a snarky insult every now and again, Elena wasn't one to take it lying down either and returned the favour. It was fun, the snarky insults, the I-hate-your-guts-you're-kind-of-okay friendship which totally wasn't friendship. It was cool.

"You have to make a wish first," Matt pointed out, eagerly rubbing off the sign on his chest- _turns out it was lipstick_- whilst buttoning his shirt up, much to Rebekah's dismay.

"I wish..." Bonnie trailed off, seeing everybody's eager expressions before quickly blowing out the candle- _I wish that things would just fall into place_. Straightening up, she flashed the most innocent smile she could. "Actually, can't tell you."

"_Bonnie!"_

"_Cold, just cold."_

Rebekah knocked Bonnie gently whilst Caroline and Elena groaned, Matt simply plucking the baked good out of Elena's mitts and handing it over to the birthday girl; who peeled away the wrapper, plucked out the candle and promptly devoured it, almost whole. Caroline wrinkling her nose as Bonnie brushed away the crumbs at the corner of her mouth, Rebekah laughing and going to Elena's side as they flicked through the pictures she'd taken of Bonnie eating. The one where her cheeks were blown out like a chipmunk, filled with cake, was Rebekah's favourite.

"Get some pictures with the birthday girl," Elena said, motioning for Caroline to go and stand with Bonnie. The blonde dramatically winking and hiking her leg around Bonnie's, the birthday girl grabbing the leg and winked at the camera as well. Elena grinning as she took the picture. After the flash went off, Rebekah joined them, the two blondes picking Bonnie up and making her sit on their shoulders- it didn't hurt that Matt knelt in front, pretending to bow at their feet. Elena continued to snap picture after picture, trying to stifle her laughter- especially when Bonnie stuck a note saying '_Bekah's Bitch_' on Matt's back.

"C'mon Gilbert. You need to be in some pictures as well." Rebekah told her, plucking the camera out of Elena's hand and ignoring her comments about how unphotogenic she was.

Instead, Caroline dragged Elena over and the three posed for the camera- somehow reminding Rebekah of Charlie's Angels. She grinned widely as she took the picture, especially when she caught one mid-motion where Caroline jumped on Bonnie's back, almost knocking Elena out of the picture.

"C'mon, you need a picture of all four of you." Matt murmured, prying the camera out of Rebekah's fingers this time and gently nudging her towards the group. Elena sniggered when Rebekah stumbled, the two sneering at one another before wrapping their arms around each others shoulders, the four of them stood together with huge grins whilst Matt took the big picture.

Whilst Bonnie appreciated Rebekah as her own friend, selfishly wanting to keep her to herself, she couldn't help but like the group she had at that point. Caroline and Rebekah still had an ongoing rivalry, Rebekah and Elena were the friends that hated to admit they liked one another, and Bonnie could safely say she loved all of them. It had taken a while for her to trust, to be friends with Elena- _it was especially awkward when Stefan came over to stand with them_- but things were getting easier, and so was being friends again.

It was a shame that the bell rang, and they remembered they actually had to go to class.

"If you think this is good, wait until later!" Rebekah said to her with a mischievous smile as she started to walk towards the other side of the school with Matt- the two having the same class first period.

"What's happening later!?" Bonnie shouted after her. "Rebekah!?"

She couldn't help but worry when she threw her head back and cackled loudly.

And Bonnie couldn't help but wonder what they were up to, especially when she, Caroline and Elena headed back to the Forbes residence to get all dressed up- it was nice. It felt like old times, but only better since she kept getting snarky messages from Rebekah, not to mention the fact they Facetime'd her at one point. They danced to really bad music, did their hair and makeup, fought over the bathroom, painted each others toes, all the stuff they used to do and when they said they were fashionably late, they ushered Bonnie into the car...

And drove her home.

"How did you know? This is exactly what I wanted to do for my birthday." Bonnie said dryly, yelping when Caroline nipped her for her sarcasm.

"C'mon," She said, pushing Bonnie out of the car and the three of them walking in.

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_"

Possibly her entire year __and __the year above was in her house, all grinning down at her as Rebekah was pushed to the front of the crowd and the music began to play loudly, the floor beginning to shake as people danced in her living room. Bonnie simply pulled Rebekah into a tight hug, the two of them swaying everywhere and laughing. There were those red cups being passed around like out of the music videos, Caroline had brought some sparklers that lit up her back garden, the music practically rattled the windows and there was people, __everywhere__.

Rebekah grinned widely as she threw her arms up in the air, dancing like they didn't actually have school the next day whilst Bonnie danced along with her. Caroline back-to-back with Bonnie, and Elena was over on the edge, trying to convince Stefan to dance with her.

She hadn't felt this good in a while, her dad had let her down for her birthday once again, the last party she went to was a dud and the one before that had been Jeremy's; automatic decline of invitation. So it felt nice to be in a little black lace dress with her feet trapped in a pair of lethal heels and knowing that she looked pretty damn fine.

"Happy birthday!" Rebekah screamed once again over the music, wrapping her arms around Bonnie's neck as the two laughed and stumbled around in the crowd- accidentally pushing Caroline into Matt and walking backwards into Tyler. The two guys laughing as Caroline shot off whilst Rebekah and Bonnie resumed dancing, hair flipping, hip shaking- the whole business.

It didn't take long before she was dying for a drink, something with more vodka than she could probably handle (_preferably_). Which is how she managed to find herself in her dad's study, _that was surprisingly empty despite how many people were in her house_, stood on his office chair to reach for the good Vodka he'd tried to hide on top of his bookshelf. Doing such a stunt in heels, and a short dress, should have garnered her a medal for such an effort. In fact, she almost fell off the chair when a low whistle sounded from behind her.

"You shouldn't stand up there if you don't wanna give a guy a great view," _Kol_, of course. "Not that I'm complaining, but I don't think you appreciate me knowing what color underwear you've got on."

Glancing over her shoulder, she sneered- "And that's as far as you'll ever get."

"Lots of love, the birthday girl," Kol said, making invisible crosses in the air as he leaned against the doorway. He couldn't help but grin though as she rolled her eyes and went back to trying to grab the elusive bottle that rolled around on the top of the bookshelf. It was when there was a flash of her inner thigh did he grin grow feral, _was that_- "When did Bonnie Bennett get a tattoo?!"

Quite a few seventeen year olds had tattoos, got them on drunken whims with fake ID's, but none of them were _Bonnie Bennett_.

Yelping, that time Bonnie really did fall off of the chair though she managed to grab the vodka before she landed, ankle twisting awkwardly as she landed. Kol flinching and reaching out, grabbing her upper arm to steady her as she limped slightly on one foot. Pursing her lips, she smacked Kol in the ribs with the bottle- ignoring his rather girlish yelp.

"What was that for?!"

"For making me fall of the chair!" Bonnie exclaimed, testing her weight on the ankle and hissing out in pain.

"I think you're just avoiding the fact you have a tattoo," Kol confessed with a wide grin, his hand slipping from her upper arm to grip her waist. "C'mon, give the dirty details. It wasn't with my sister because she'd have a matching tattoo and she can't keep secrets like that for shit-"

"No, I didn't get it with Rebekah," Bonnie muttered, rolling her eyes once again, finally able to rest her foot right without shooting pains up her leg- not exactly _ignorant_ about Kol's hand resting upon her hip. It didn't escape her notice either as he pulled her closer towards him, he wore a nice cologne and not to mention had a bit to drink, she could smell it on his breath. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Enough to grow a pair of balls, and actually talk to you," Kol confessed honestly, his grin static on his lips as his hand slid round to the small of her back.

"And that's enough for you tonight," Bonnie murmured, taken aback slightly and tried to move out of his grip. "Kol, let go of me."

"What?" He blinked, looking down at her and suddenly realizing that he still had a hold on her. "Oh yeah, no, sorry."

Bonnie took a step back away from him, biting her lip softly, before she decided to herself. Her hands splayed against his chest as she lightly pushed him, guided him out of her dad's study whilst limping herself and with a bottle of Vodka in hand."-C'mon, back to the party."

Kol paused just outside the doorway, watching as Bonnie locked the door behind her and waiting for the right moment just as she swiveled round; which was the moment he ducked down and pressed a kiss against the corner of her lips, _well, he was aiming for her cheek so it was the thought that counted_. Staring up at him as he straightened his back, feeling smaller than usual when he smirked down at her.

"Happy birthday, Bon." He said before walking off, hands in his jean pocket and a swish in his hips.

_Not that she was looking at his hips, or in that general area_.

...Lets face it, she _so_ was.

* * *

><p><strong>One week, Three Days Later.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Algebra<em>, _Calculus, Biology, _Bonnie cursed the subjects to Hell and back.

Her house was no longer her safe haven, her dad had taken up residence once again and to hear him storming around the house whilst he screamed down his phone at a co worker? Not the best environment to do her homework in. Usually, this would be okay because she'd go round to Rebekah's house and stake her claim on their dining table to do their homework. Unfortunately their house was a no-go, Esther's sister Dahlia was round which meant that everyone was feeling their _beloved_ Aunt's wrath. This was the woman which gave Bonnie nightmares as a child, it was hard to understand how Esther and the woman were related in any way.

So she'd wound up finding a table at the back of the Grill, her books opened in front of her as she tried to finish her work to her best ability.

This was why she needed Rebekah, that girl could could do Algebra in her sleep, but to Bonnie it was like alphabet soup- except with more numbers, and a few triangles. Was she even doing the right homework? She was sure she had some French homework to go along with this, now French was her thing, but she couldn't for the life of her find the actual work she was supposed to complete.

"Here you go, sweetie," Sage said cheerily, working as a waitress for that night instead of behind the bar as usual. Bonnie didn't point it out, but Sage had packed on a few pounds in the weeks after New Years, though that was probably down to the amount of Red Velvet cake Esther had been making- Bonnie would know. She'd gained a few pounds herself from the slices she'd been sneaking. Smiling up at the red head, she thanked her for the fries and the milkshake before going back to her work. "Kol, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Bonnie's shoulders automatically stiffened.

"Stefan's working the Garage tonight," He said, rolling his shoulders whilst sauntering over to the booth Bonnie had taken shelter at. Arching an eyebrow at Sage, she shrugged her shoulders before walking over to one of the tables which were ready to order, leaving Kol to slip into the seats across from Bonnie. "There she is."

"Here I am." Bonnie stated dryly, not even looking up from her work as her pencil skidded across her page rapidly. You'd be surprised what motivation ignoring him was, and how it inspired her to do the boring maths related work.

"You've been avoiding me," Kol stated, eyes narrowed as he rested his arms on the table.

"Now what would give you that idea?" Bonnie murmured faintly, slightly distracted by a particularly hard question (_they were all hard_), tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I tried to talk to you yesterday, and you almost ran in the other direction,"

"You were making me late for English with Miss. Bizzel," Bonnie said, making Kol blink- _completely reasonable excuse_, he thought to himself. Miss. Bizzel was a crotchety old hag. Kol'd been put in detention on more than one occasion for being more than a minute late, though it was more to do with him arguing with her about her comments on his tardiness, rather than him actually being late which landed him in detention. "What's with the sudden need to talk to me anyways?"

"Go on a date with me."

_That_ made Bonnie look up at him.

"Have you been drinking again?" Kol frowned.

"Aunt Dahlia hasn't driven me to drink just yet," He muttered, thankful to have escape the house. The rare occasions their _beloved_ Auntie paid them a visit, most of them made themselves scarce. Klaus and Caroline were upstate to negotiate talks about his artwork being placed in some galleries, Elijah has his own house which he could seek sanctuary from. Sage was working, so was Finn. Rebekah and Henrik were the only ones actually stuck being home, Kol had managed to slip out of the bathroom window. His own having been locked since the tender age of thirteen. "So, whatd'ya say Bonnie?"

"That you should seek professional help about your family problems." Bonnie quipped without blinking, the corner of her lip tugging as she tried to repress her smile.

"_Funny_," Kol sneered, before his entire expression fell. "Wait- what's that?"

"What-"

"Shh,"Kol hushed her, dramatically placing a hand to his ear. "What's that I hear- _oh_, it's not a no."

"I didn't-"

"I'll pick you up at six on Saturday." Kol said, an arrogant grin stretching his lips widely as he slid out of the booth, leaning down to press a kiss against her cheek before he walked away, whistling a jaunty tune which made Bonnie want to stab herself in the thigh with her pen. Sage chuckled at the pair of them, mindful of the silent salute she received from Kol as he left the Grill. Bonnie on the other hand glared down at the paper she'd been writing on, looking ready to murder someone.

_She'd been doing the wrong work the whole time_. And now she had a date with Kol Mikaelson.

...She was at a loss of words.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Three Days Later<em>**

* * *

><p>"I'm going to be your maid-of-honor, okay?" Rebekah stated, grinning when Bonnie flipped her off whilst reaching down to zip up her boots. Sometimes, she regretted telling the blonde about how her brother had conned her into going on a date with him- though she didn't really try that hard to get out of it, no effort at all really; but she ignored that fact just like she ignored Rebekah at that moment. <em>Nervous<em>, she was actually nervous for this whole date thing. Stomach in knots, palms slightly clammy, she couldn't keep still, _that_ kind of nervous.

"I don't know what _you're_ getting excited about, it's your brother. If anything you should be hissing 'Oh gross', that kind of thing." Bonnie said as she stood up to her full height. Fluffing her hair out a bit, making sure she didn't have any lipstick on her teeth-_ she wasn't even wearing any lipstick_- and no stray blobs of mascara.

"I don't know why you even bothered getting dressed, I'm sure my brother would love a date with a naked Bonnie," Rebekah said mindlessly, frowning as soon as she realized what she'd said, glancing over her shoulder just as Bonnie froze; the two of them mentally taking in Rebekah's words. "You're right, that is weird. Our friendship will never be ready for those comments."

"Maybe when we're old and senile, arguing when we're in wheelchairs-"

"Aw, you really think we'll make it that far?" Rebekah crooned, fluttering her eyelashes dramatically.

"No, I'll have murdered you before that." Bonnie confessed with a grin, yelping when Rebekah swatted her ass as she walked past her to get to her make-up bag. "_Touchy, touchy_."

The two bickered back and forth for a couple minutes, but both went deadly silent when they heard the knock at the door. Their heads snapping in unison from door to the clock on the wall, which clearly displayed _Six O'Clock_. It couldn't be, it was only half four a minute ago? Maybe Rebekah had messed around with the clock again? Still, he knocked on the door again. Their heads snapping to look back at the door before they glanced at one another- Rebekah's lips pursed and Bonnie was all but ready to run out the back door.

"I'm not getting any younger out here," Kol called out teasingly.

"Give her a minute, you wanker!" Rebekah hollered through the door, climbing off of the sofa to stand in front of Bonnie with her hands on her shoulder. "You don't have to go on a date with him if you don't want."

"...Might as well give it a try," Bonnie eventually said, rolling her shoulders and keeping her head high as she brushed Rebekah's hand off her shoulders, going to finally answer the door.

"Now, lets not get too eager, I know you're dying to go on a date with me, Bennett," Kol grumbled, rolling his eyes as the door opened- trying to ignore the fact that she'd worn those jeans which made her legs look amazing, or the fact that Bonnie Bennett in a leather jacket was attractive as hell.

_Remember Kol, try to keep your tongue inside your mouth and not pant like the mutt you secretly are._

"Lock up when you leave, Rebekah," Bonnie called back into the house, hearing a scoff from the other room as well as the TV turn on. "And if you don't leave, you can do the dishes-"

"_Bonnie_-"

She simply slammed the front door behind her with a small smirk.

"You ready to go?" She asked him, lips pulled into a small smile as they walked away from the house and Kol simply rolled his eyes once again (_they were going to get stuck if he kept doing that_).

"I was the one waiting for you, Bennett."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, I know the actual date isn't in the chapter- IT WILL BE IN THE NEXT ONE I SWEAR, with the amount on Bonkai I've been invested in, I've kinda lost my muse again. So I'm just gonna watch loads of kennett videos and fanfictions, and get back into the swing of it before I actually write the date. Though this chapter is hella long in comparison to what it was in my first drafts. I'm so sorry about the wait!<strong>


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